City Stink: Mayor Deke Copenhaver Still Doesn't Get It

Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Augusta, GA
From CityStink.net Reports

The following email was sent out today by Mayor Deke Copenhaver to all Augusta Commissioners. It appears our illustrious mayor has not learned one darn thing from his failed stunt yesterday. Now he is trying to put commissioners on a guilt trip for standing up against the very lop-sided last minute management contract with Augusta Riverfront LLC to manage the soon-to-be-completed TEE Center.

The mayor has shown absolutely no willingness to get all parties together to FIX what is wrong with this contract -- that if passed in its current form will cost Augusta taxpayers $millions of dollars. Deke seems intent on ramming this thing thru by all means necessary. Commissioner Joe Bowles and others have suggested contracting with Global Spectrum (the manager of the Augsuta Entertainment Complex) to run the Convention Center when it opens in January. Global Spectrum has already said they are prepared and ready to go if they are needed. Instead of addressing this option.. they mayor wants to manufacture a "false" crisis and act like a drama queen in order to force commissioners to approve a contract that would be very detrimental to the taxpayers of Augusta Richmond County. The mayor's email starts below:

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Gentlemen,

The news of the decision by the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police to cancel their convention here in Augusta is now being reported in the Rome News Tribune, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, WSAV in Savannah, WSB TV in Atlanta, WRCB in Chattanooga and other media outlets throughout the southeast. Due to this fact as well as the fact that there are several commissioners who are ready to vote to approve the operating agreement, I believe that a work session will only continue to bring negative regional media attention to Augusta while at the same time further negatively impacting our ability to ensure the long-term success of the facility.

Basically, we are now in damage control mode and I would highly recommend that those parties who still have questions or concerns meet with the management group or their representatives directly as soon as possible as it is imperative that we get an agreement in place in order to not put future bookings at risk.

I heard this morning that our downtown business owners are extremely upset with the situation as it stands due to the loss in revenues that they will incur due to our losing our first major booking and I’m hopeful that their concerns will be heard and that we can come to a resolution on this.

Thanks,

Deke
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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Mayor Deke Copenhaver Still Doesn't Get It

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